It was Election Day, three years ago. Lauren Simonetti, then a field producer
for FOX Business Network (FBN), had been in Phoenix for two weeks, leading up to
presidential candidate John McCain’s results party at the Arizona Biltmore.

The former Rossville resident distinctly recalls the moment it became clear
Barack Obama would take the election: The cameras stopped rolling in Phoenix as
everyone turned their attention to the news coming out of Chicago, where the
first African-American was about to be named president.

Photos Courtesy of Lauren SimonettiLauren Simonetti, formerly of Rossiville, and Mark Cubrilo tied the knot in the Crystal Plaza, Livingston, N.J., last month.

"No matter who you were rooting for at that time, everyone was standing on
the risers, squeezed tight together, watching the TV monitors," Simonetti, who
now resides in Manhattan, remembered during a recent interview.

Little did she know how much the historic election would change the course of
her life. And it had nothing to do with who would occupy the White House for the
next four years.

Also standing somewhere in the sea of media people in Phoenix that night was
Mark Cubrilo, a satellite and field engineer with FOX News Channel, responsible
for transmitting live images to satellites. He and Simonetti had known each
other casually from work, but never connected on a personal level until their
encounter on the campaign trail.

Four days earlier, on a slow news night, Cubrilo invited Simonetti to join
him and other FOX News staffers for dinner, when the others mysteriously didn’t
show.

While one has to wonder if Cubrilo arranged for this disappearing act,
Simonetti insists he did not.

"The ‘group’ thing in Arizona wasn't a setup, just colleagues going out after
work, who unexpectedly — and fortunately — cancelled," she clarified via e-mail.

Heading out, neither of them realized it was Halloween night until they saw
hordes of young people in the college town in costumes.

"When you’re on the road so much, you lose track of what day it is,"
explained Cubrilo, who travels all over the globe for his job.

Wanting to get in on the fun, the two bargained with college students for
various parts of their costumes. By the end of the night, Simonetti had on some
"stupid, makeshift" hat and Cubrilo was toting a fake revolver and wearing a
goalie mask that had belonged to someone disguised as Jason from "Friday the
13th."

While both admit they felt a spark that night, neither acted on their
feelings, reluctant to get involved with someone from work in case things didn’t
work out.

Back in Manhattan a few weeks later, they bumped into each other at an
after-work gathering, where Cubrilo’s older brother, present that evening, let
Simonetti in on a little secret: His brother had a crush on her. The news gave
her the courage to corner Cubrilo and break the ice. They set up a first date,
under the guise of "just lunch."

"We both said we wouldn’t date anyone from work. We made this exception, but
were hesitant about that," Cubrilo explained of their caution.

How well they hit it off during what turned into a bona fide date — lunch at
Chef Tom Colicchio’s Craft Restaurant extended to a visit to the Guggenheim
Museum and then a stroll through Central Park — made them realize they had the
start of a promising relationship.

"We just clicked," Cubrilo said. "When I finally saw her outside of work, I
saw her true personality. She’s serious when she needs to be, but there also are
a lot of laughs with her and she’s so much fun."

Simonetti returned the compliment, noting, "He is pretty selfless. He’s more
concerned about me than himself.

"And he’s trustworthy," she continued. "I know I can rely on him for
anything."

Two days after her birthday in April, Cubrilo surprised his sweetheart by
getting down on bended knee and proposing to her at a private dinner, followed
by a celebration with loved ones.

Six months later, on Oct. 1, the happy couple tied the knot in the Crystal
Plaza, Livingston, N.J. For their honeymoon, they traveled to Tanzania and
Zanzibar for an African safari.

Cubrilo is no stranger to off-the-beaten-track destinations. In the past year
alone, he’s traveled to Haiti in January to cover the first anniversary of that
country’s earthquake, Japan in the aftermath of this year’searthquake/tsunami, Israel to improve FOX News satellite connections, and
Florida, for the Casey Anthony trial.

If his wife is flexible about all the international traveling Cubrilo does —
usually for two weeks at a time — he is equally understanding of her work
schedule.

Fortunately, the two not only share personal chemistry, but because they work
in the TV news industry, each understands the pressures of the other’s job. The
two say they now understand why romances between people in their field are so
common.

"When I say I’m busy, I’m really busy and I’m not going to be able to return
your call," Simonetti said, explaining "busy" for her usually means she’s
covering a breaking-news story. Whereas outsiders might not get it, Cubrilo
does.

He also understands and accepts her early-morning starts. Now a financial
reporter on Good Day New York FOX 5 morning show and a correspondent for FBN,
Simonetti wakes up around 3 a.m. each weekday.

Like with any presidential pairing, in order for the relationship to work,
they both must be completely on board and supportive of each other’s goals and
all that’s required to achieve them.

"Being flexible, not selfish and understanding what comes with the job" have
been key to their successful partnership, Simonetti concluded.

Elise McIntosh, editor of the Relationships section, may be reached at
mcintosh@siadvance.com.